Funk

Overview Edit

Funk is the rhythmic arm of soul music, and the building block upon which much of modern dance music has been built. When soul was developing from gospel and rhythm’n’blues, James Brown concentrated on the rhythm and made it the most important element of his songs, prioritized over melody, harmony or vocal emotion. By focusing on the first beat of the bar (“everything is on the one”), employing a horn section to provide ecstatic hits, and locking in minutes-long vamps over one chord, Brown got his audiences to dance, rather than to think or to feel.

Funk really took off in the 1970s, as it diversified into similar styles like the P-Funk of Parliament and Funkadelic, the funk-rock hybrid of Sly & The Family Stone, and the deep south funk of The Meters. Soul stars like Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield funkified their music too, meaning they made it more celebratory and rhythmic. Funk contributed hugely to the development of disco, which itself led to house, garage and techno. Funk also provided, and still provides, most of the samples used by hip-hop DJs. Any guitar music which emphasizes the first beat of the bar also sounds funky, such as dance-punk or punk-funk.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Photo Credit - Getty Images

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Top ranked Funk releases

3364536 RELEASE Listen Please try again. The Ultimate Collection Listen The Ultimate Collection 2004 Michael Jackson
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611274 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Greatest Hits Listen Greatest Hits 1998 Earth, Wind & Fire
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734834 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Off the Wall Listen Off the Wall 1979 Michael Jackson
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735175 RELEASE Listen Please try again. The Very Best of Prince Listen The Very Best of Prince 2001 Prince
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578889 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Songs in the Key of Life Listen Songs in the Key of Life 1976 Stevie Wonder
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601899 RELEASE Listen Please try again. The Best of Kool & the Gang Listen The Best of Kool & the Gang 1999 Kool & The Gang
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1142305 RELEASE The Gold Experience The Gold Experience 1995 Prince
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749840 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Greatest Hits Listen Greatest Hits 1970 Sly & The Family Stone
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772231 RELEASE Listen Please try again. 20 All Time Greatest Hits! Listen 20 All Time Greatest Hits! 1991 James Brown
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1128188 RELEASE The Best of The S.O.S. Band The Best of The S.O.S. Band 1996 The S.O.S. Band
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941220 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Hot Buttered Soul Listen Hot Buttered Soul 1969 Isaac Hayes
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2019761 RELEASE Live at the Apollo (1968) Live at the Apollo (1968) 1990 James Brown
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2084429 RELEASE Live at the Apollo, 1962 Live at the Apollo, 1962 1963 James Brown
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2805983 RELEASE Live at the Apollo (1962) Expanded Edition Live at the Apollo (1962) Expanded Edition 2004 James Brown
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990176 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Star Time Listen Star Time 1991 James Brown
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Top ranked Funk artists

  1. Michael Jackson Michael Jackson 1958-2009
  2. Incubus Incubus 1991-
  3. Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire 1969-
  4. Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder 1950-
  5. Prince Prince 1958-
  6. Prince and the Revolution
  7. Tower of Power Tower of Power 1968-
  8. Kool & The Gang Kool & The Gang 1964-
  9. Sly & The Family Stone Sly & The Family Stone 1966-1975
  10. James Brown James Brown 1933-2006

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Top editors for Funk

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